A papakāinga opened today by the Minister for Māori Development the Hon Willie Jackson will provide whānau with much needed affordable rental homes in Hastings.

The four home papakāinga in Waiōhiki is the first project to be completed under the ‘Hastings Place Based’ initiative. This initiative is a Government, Hastings District Council, iwi and provider partnership. The homes are owned and will be managed by the Te Hiiri Whānau Trust.

“The place-based approach is intended to ensure housing issues in ‘hotspot regions’ are addressed more effectively. I commend the Trust’s foresight in building warm, dry affordable homes on its whenua,” says Minister Jackson.

Te Puni Kōkiri funded the project from its allocation for the initiative which is led out of the Ministry of Housing and Urban Development. $1,680,090 contributed to the home and infrastructure costs, with Te Hiiri Whānau Trust contributing approximately $700,000 as borrowing.

Funding was approved in December 2019 with construction completed within 12 months. The four new homes are located alongside a refurbished house that is being used for transitional housing, also funded by Te Puni Kōkiri.

“These quality, insulated, three-bedroom homes will undoubtedly improve the health and wellbeing of the whānau moving in, most of whom are coming from substandard housing.

“The return of whānau to rural ancestral land not only builds and sustains communities but connects whānau to their history, marae, awa and maunga. It is more likely the environment will be maintained and enhanced when there is connection,” says Minister Jackson.

Te Hiiri Whānau Trust trustee, Laurie O’Reilly, who has managed the project on behalf of the trust, says the physical buildings are just the start.

“The enhancement of peoples’ wairua, tinana, mauri is the next stage. It’s the aspirational, ambitious stuff that will ensure future generations carry on the values of kaitiakitanga and manaakitanga,” Laurie says.

This papakāinga is one of a number completed while others are under-construction in the burgeoning, rekindled Māori community of Waiōhiki. Two of the other developments are also part of the Hastings Place Based initiative.

© Scoop Media